Senior Smart

SmartHOME™ will enable older adults to stay in their own homes longer through the use of new technologies and community services.

SeniorSMART™ researchers are partnering with the University of Kaiserslautern, the Fraunhofer Institute (inventors of MP3 technology), Lutheran Homes of South Carolina, and others to develop, evaluate, and apply new SmartHOME technology. Examples of this new development include a smart cup to monitor adequate fluid intake, a smart refrigerator to detect spoiled food, and software that will allow physicians to remotely monitor vital signs, as well as disease and illness warning signs.

The center will focus on developing technologies, combined with social support networks. In addition, University researchers will work with home builders to design elderly-friendly homes with built-in systems that promote independence.

The University of South Carolina's College of Social Work, School of Medicine, and College of Engineering and Computing have formed an interdisciplinary team to work on retrofitting existing residences and designing a better quality of life.

SmartWHEELS™ will help seniors maintain the ability to drive safely and rehabilitate those who have temporarily lost that ability due to health issues.

This team will lead research that uses technology and interventions to improve transportation and physical mobility for older adults. The center will develop state-of-the-art drive-simulation centers to evaluate and rehabilitate older drivers. Experts from the center will also work with automobile manufacturers to create safer vehicles for older adults.

Clemson University's Institute of Engaged Aging (IEA) and International Center for Automotive Research (ICAR) will lead these research efforts. A key objective is to develop an interdisciplinary adult driver facility for training, assessment, and rehabilitation.

SmartBRAIN™ will promote brain health while preventing cognitive decline and brain diseases, including Alzheimer's and stroke.

Prevention, rehabilitation, and research will promote and maintain brains that remain healthy as older adults age. SmartBRAIN brings together experts in nutrition, exercise, geriatrics, neuropsychology, and neurology to provide assessments of nutrition, exercise, medications, and health status, focusing on the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases.

The center will also provide older people with access to experts in the field and to trials of new research studies designed to enhance brain function.

A partnership with the Brain Imaging Center of Economic Excellence, including its McCausland Center for Brain Imaging, will facilitate research and provide state-of-the-art technology. The McCausland Center has a high-resolution Siemens 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging system.